Liwag to retire as PCG chief in 3 days; successor still unknown

MANILA, Philippines - With three days to go before the mandatory retirement of Admiral Ramon Liwag, there are speculations that President Aquino would appoint Rear Admiral Edmund Tan as the next commandant of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).

PCG sources said that President Aquino has already signed the appointment papers of Tan as the 24th commandant of the PCG, but up until noon yesterday there has been no formal announcement.

Tan was among the four names included in the shortlist of candidates for commandant that Liwag submitted to Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) Secretary Mar Roxas before Christmas last year.

The shortlist reportedly contained the names of the four most senior PCG officials: Tan, vice commandant for operations; National Capital Region-Central Luzon district commander Commodore Luis Tuason Jr.; Cebu district commander Commodore Cecil Chen; and Coast Guard Fleet commander Commodore Rodolfo Isorena.

He said the “President always has the prerogative to choose, based on his trust and confidence, as to who should command the PCG because the PCG is very, very crucial in the law enforcement, national security including the West Philippine Sea which is currently developing. So the President should have the call.”

Liwag, who would turn 56 on Jan. 24, said during his nine-month stint as head of the PCG, one of his accomplishments is intensifying their forces at the West Philippine Sea area, where there is an existing territorial dispute with other Asian countries.